


Taste!

by Chameleononplaid



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 13:30:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11209050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chameleononplaid/pseuds/Chameleononplaid
Summary: When Sara Lance and Oliver Queen open their restaurant after returning from Lian Yu after three years away, they find that opening day can be a lot harder when their staff gets hurt or leaves. Sara goes to her friend Felicity for help in filling in. Felicity hasn't really approved of the way Oliver Queen lives his life but it's separate from hers so she doesn't put much thought into it until she has to meet him. Oliver thinks Felicity isn't suited to work in his restaurant until she proves him wrong. Together they become an incredible team.





	Taste!

**Author's Note:**

> This work is for the Olicity Hiatus Fic A Thon. The prompt this week was Taste. I'm kind of late in posting and because the work took so long to finish it is un-beta'd. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> I do not own the characters. They belong to DC Comics and Arrow.

**Taste**

            Oliver Queen glanced around the empty restaurant with a heavy heart. His dream was crashing before it even began.

            Tonight Taste was supposed to open but Oliver began to doubt if it ever would. Several of his staff had been injured or quit. Maybe having the dining room in complete darkness wasn’t the best of ideas.

            “Hey.”

            Oliver turned and found his business partner and friend, Sara Lance, standing there. “Hi.”

            “It’s going to work, Ollie,” she assured him. She walked over to his side. “I have a plan.”

            Oliver dramatically looked around his smaller friend. “You have a wait staff, a line cook and a hostess in that skimpy dress of yours?”

            Sara postured on her ridiculously high heels so she could show off her dress. It was black and strappy. Literally, it had more straps than actual dress. “You like? I borrowed it from my friend, Felicity.”

             “You’re friend a hooker?”

             “How did you know she loves that show?” Sara said with a laugh and a wink, leaving Oliver confused. “We both think the guy who plays Captain Hook is hot.”

            Oliver held up a hand. “I don’t want to know.” He nodded toward the front of the restaurant. “Are we sure about this? Maybe we should wait a couple of more months.”

            Sara sighed and gripped his arm. “No, we shouldn’t. That’s Laurel talking. Plus, we can’t afford to put off the opening.” His eyes hit hers and she nodded, acknowledging his unspoken words. “We both know not financially, for that, we’re fine for now. We can fall back on your trust fund. But, if we put this off, we’ll give up. It’s in our genes, Ollie. We hate commitment.”  

           Oliver pulled out a nearby chair and sat heavily. “I was thinking about telling Laurel I was ready to move in tonight after the opening.”

            Sara held a hand to her heart and gripped the table behind her, causing Oliver to glare at her. “I thought you were going to tell me you were about to propose. I wasn’t ready to talk you down from that.”

            He raised his eyes to meet hers. “I bought a ring. Yesterday.”

            Sara straightened and jammed a finger into his chest, her expression serious. “I swear, Oliver Queen, if you propose to my sister, I’m out of here.” Sara reached for another chair so she could sit across from him. “I love my sister to death, but the two of you…” She shook her head. “I don’t know if that would ever work out.” Sara waved her hand between them. “Not after us.”

            “There is no us.”

            “No, there isn’t,” Sara agreed. “But the second we both stepped onto the Queen’s Gambit you blew up that bridge. I’m actually surprised the two of you even decided to give your relationship a try again. You survived three years without each other. And, while I know nothing happened between us after we landed on Lian Yu, she doesn’t. Laurel has a great imagination. And while that might aid her in her job, it’s not so great when you’ve been thinking that your boyfriend and sister have had every opportunity to sleep together for three years.”

            “We seemed to be okay the last few months.” He had thought so until the opening inched closer. But then the fights began. Laurel accused him of spending too much time on his little hobby and not enough time on their relationship.

            Sara snorted. “If by okay, you mean I’ve seen you here more than with her. And don’t think I haven’t noticed she avoids this place like the plague.”

            “She’s coming to the opening tonight with Tommy.” Oliver hit his knees and rose. Moping wasn’t going to make anything happen. “If we ever have enough staff to open our doors.”           

            “Well,” Sara rose as she spoke. “I’m taking over hosting duties.” She waved down at herself. “Thus, the killer dress. I’ve already hired one waiter out from under Max Fuller and another that worked at Table Salt. And I hope to convince a friend of mine to waitress at least for tonight, if not the whole weekend.”

            Oliver nodded. “I guess I could ask Thea’s boyfriend, Roy, if he could take over dishwashing duties so Raul can move up to line cook. He’s been apprenticing under the sous chef for emergency purposes.”

            “I think tonight qualifies,” Sara agreed and reached out and hugged him. “Give me two hours and I’ll have a server one way or another.”

            Sara pressed her lips to his cheek before she left. Slowly the crisis was being adverted. But Oliver didn’t trust his change of luck. He learned the hard way that fate could be fickle and your life can change in an instant.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Felicity dumped a broken picture frame in the trash when a knock sounded on her door. If she hadn’t been so careless as to trip over her soldering gun’s cord, it would’ve never broken in the first place.

            Going over to her door, Felicity glanced out the peep hole to see Sara standing there. A smile spread over Felicity’s face as she opened the door. “The dress looks great on you.” That’s when Felicity noticed the ugly tan slides that Sara had on her feet and she grimaced. “The shoes not so much.”

            Sara glanced down at her feet and laughed, entering Felicity’s apartment. “I have some killer heels to go with it. Killer being the important word.” Sara held out a foot. “These are the shoes I put on to enter the dining room. They are quieter anyway, even if they’re not pretty.”

            “And you don’t have to break an ankle, or your neck, walking through the dark,” Felicity said with her own laugh.

            “Actually,” Sara rounded on her, “that’s why I’m here.”

            “I already told you I was coming.” Felicity reached out to her friend to assure her. “Are you full? Do you need me to give up my table? I can come in another night.”

            Sara smiled at her. It was almost condescending, but the smile turned softer and friendlier. “While that would be great considering the wait list is the length of my arm, I actually have something to ask of you.”

            Felicity waved her friend over to her couch. “Talk.”

            Sara made her way over to Felicity’s living room. However, she walked straight past the couch to a chair. Considering Felicity had worn the dress once before, she completely understood the choice. “I could use your help.”

            “Anything.”

            “I need you to waitress tonight,” Sara said quickly, avoiding Felicity’s eyes.

            Felicity plopped down on her couch and pulled her feet under her. “I think you just asked me to waitress. But I know that can’t be right.”

            “Just for tonight,” Sara said with a nod, her eyes finally coming up to Felicity’s. “Please. I wouldn’t ask, but we are kind of screwed.”

            “You do realize I work with computers,” Felicity indicated her torn apart computer, “not food?”

            “Ollie is asking his sister’s boyfriend to cover dishwashing duties. I’m taking over for Belinda, our hostess, who broke her ankle yesterday during a dry run. I hired two other waiters to cover, but I need another.” Sara reached out and pulled Felicity’s hands into her own. “Please? I know you helped you mom at the casino last summer when she was sick.”

            “It wasn’t pitch black in the casino. Though to be fair, it was hard to breathe or see with some of the smoke in that high rollers room.”

            Sara and her friend, Oliver Queen, were about to open a restaurant that forced its patrons to eat in the dark so they were left with only the aromas and flavors of the food without any interference from their other senses. It was an adventurous concept. One that Felicity had scoffed at in the beginning but began to see the appeal of as the restaurant took shape. Plus, according to Felicity’s research, there were similar restaurants throughout the world that made it work.

            “I’m pretty sure you’ll make enough in pay and tips to be able to finally buy that processor you’ve had your eye on,” Sara goaded.

            Felicity narrowed her eyes at her friend. “That was low. You know I’d do anything to get my hands on that.”

            Sara’s eyes began to twinkle. “So, you’ll do it?”

            Felicity let out a large sigh. “Fine. Yes. I’ll do it.”

            Sara jumped from her chair and pulled Felicity up into a hug. “Thank you so much.” Sara pulled back. “We need to head over there and get you trained. We’ll head to my place first and get you some clothes.” Sara looked Felicity over. “Oh, and you may want to put on your contacts. As it is we’ve only got four hours until the doors open.”

            That’s how Felicity found herself entering the front doors of Taste long before she originally planned to. She hadn’t seen the place the last few months because Sara had wanted to leave it as a surprise. Well, consider Felicity surprised. Even that didn’t seem to cover what Felicity thought about the place.

            “This place is amazing,” Felicity told her friend. There were two crystal chandeliers hanging in the lobby giving it an edge of elegance Felicity hadn’t seen outside of the high rollers room at the casino her mom worked at. Plush red carpet contrasted with the white and black walls. And this was only the front of the house.

            “C’mon.” Sara tugged Felicity forward through a black velvet curtain into the dining room. Black velvet chairs with gold edging sat near grey marble tables. Red booths lined the walls. The tile under her feet was black and red in an intricate diamond pattern that reminded Felicity a little of playing cards. The interior of the entire place was magnificent.

            “I can’t believe people will never see this,” Felicity said as she continued to take it all in. “It must have cost a fortune to decorate this place.”

            Sara laughed. “We’ll be making it all up by not paying for lighting.”

            “Still,” Felicity said with seriousness. ‘This place is fabulous. People should be able to tour this place before dinner service.” Felicity watched as several staff members, all dressed similar to how she was, in all black, came out of an open doorway with another black velvet curtain. Felicity assumed the kitchen lay behind the dark fabric.

            “Let’s bring you to Ollie. He’s the one who is going to have to train you on the food. Then we’ll do a practice run on your navigation of the dining room floor.”             Felicity began to panic as she glanced around. She was determined to memorize everything. Felicity could already picture all the disasters that could befall her. And she didn’t even need to know all the stories about past employees.

            Sara held back the black curtain to allow Felicity entrance into the area behind it. Only it wasn’t the kitchen as Felicity expected. Sara pointed to the two small hallways. “That one to the left leads you to the bar. And the one on the right is the kitchen. We had to make this so that the lights from those areas wouldn’t impact the dining room.”

            That made complete sense. Felicity glanced up to a wall where multiple pairs of glasses hung. “What are those?”

            Sara pulled one off its hook and handed it to her. “These are why I asked you to put on your contacts. They are the glasses you’ll wear to serve. They allow you to see in the dark.”

            Felicity looked them over. “Are these the night vision glasses that the Applied Science Division at QC were developing?”

            “Yep.” Sara nodded enthusiastically. “Oliver convinced his mom to give us a bunch of the prototypes.”

            “Well, that’s one way to product test,” Felicity said handing the glasses back to Sara.

            “Sara? Is that you?” a male voice called out from the recesses of the kitchen.

            “That’s Ollie,” Sara told her. “C’mon. I’ve been meaning to introduce the two of you anyway.” Sara grabbed Felicity’s hand again and urged her forward along the hallway that brought them into the bright lights of the kitchen.

            When they arrived, Felicity glanced back. The darkened hallway was definitely a good idea considering how bright the kitchen was. Glancing around the white and grey kitchen, Felicity didn’t see Oliver anywhere. She had met him once before. Met being a lose term for sharing an elevator with him, his security guard and five other people. It had been a few months ago, a year from the date he and Sara had returned to Starling City. He had stumbled through the doors probably half-way to the wind. His bodyguard had to hold him upright. The entire ride Oliver had been pressed between the corner and his very muscular, black bodyguard.

            Otherwise, the only time Felicity seen him was on television. Which was just fine with her. He didn’t exactly convey that he was the steady kind of guy she looked for. In fact, if Felicity was asked to describe Oliver Queen, she’d probably label him as a shallow, cavalier, tabloid-loving playboy. And those were sadly his good points.

            Smells surrounded Felicity enveloping her with their erotic scents. She closed her eyes and breathed it in. Her mouth began to water just imagining the food that it belonged to. _How was she supposed to serve this food all night long without being tempted to sample?_ It wasn’t like she knew to have a really early dinner before Sara arrived at her door. And the last time she ate was at breakfast at six that morning before she went into work.

            “Sara!”

            Felicity jumped, opening her eyes at the nearness and ferocity of the scream.

            Sara laid a hand on her shoulder, calming her down. “I’m here, Ollie. What’s up?”

            A head bobbed up from behind the warming tray where food was meant to be expedited. A very blonde head belonging to none other than Oliver Queen. “The damn warming tray isn’t heating up. The plug is frayed. Who pulled it out?” His eyes dropped down toward what was probably the offending plug. “Violently.”  

           “The cleaning staff?” Sara shrugged at Oliver who glared back at her, his eyes narrowing to slits. “How am I supposed to know? It’s your kitchen. It was probably an accident.”  

           Oliver’s lips thinned. He apparently didn’t like Sara’s answer. Felicity shivered. His face held an edge of danger she never associated with him. Sara, however, seemed nonplused by his behavior.

            “We need an electrician. Like yesterday.” Oliver slammed something behind the wall causing a loud clattering that had Felicity jumping again.

            “I’ll get on it,” Sara assured him in a calm tone. “I need you to do something while I do that.”

            “What?” His question was sharp in his agitated state.

            “Train Felicity.” Sara nodded her head in Felicity’s direction. “She’s going to help waitress for us tonight. And if you’re nice to her, she might help out all weekend giving us more time to find a replacement for Bethany.” Sara glared at him. “Do you think you could remember your charming self for an hour?”

            “I don’t have an hour,” Oliver told her, frustration lacing his words.

            “Make one.”

            Two sets of eyes warred over the tall warming tray and Felicity wondered which one would give in first. Both people were too stubborn for their own good.

            “Fine,” Oliver finally relented. “One hour. And that’s only because I need to go over everything with Steven and Pete.”

            “They’re the guys I told you about,” Sara whispered to Felicity. The ones she got from Poison and Table Salt. Sara nodded at Oliver before making her way out of the room. Before she left she turned back. “Oh, Felicity meet Oliver Queen. Ollie, this is Felicity Smoak.” She smiled brightly at both of them. “Play nice.”

           

            Oliver rolled his eyes dramatically before he circled around the counter. He looked over the woman in front of him. So, this was the infamous Felicity Smoak, who Sara spoke of all the time. Oliver didn’t know what he was expecting when he finally had a chance to meet her, but he never pictured this. She seemed sweet, for lack of a better word. Tooth-achingly sweet. She was as petite as Sara but while Sara had an inner strength, Felicity seemed like the kind to back down when confronted by anything worse than a flea.

            However, he could be mistaken. He had been before. Shado was a good example of that.

            Rolling up the sleeves of his white dress shirt, Oliver approached her and she didn’t even take a step back despite the outrage that he knew still radiated off of him. She did reach up to her nose as if to push back a pair of glasses that weren’t there. He realized it must be a nervous habit and his bit back a smile at her tell.

            “At least you’re wearing the right clothes,” he told her gruffly. The black highlighted the paleness of her perfect skin and the shininess of her blonde hair.

            “Sara let me borrow them. It was a tradeoff for the dress.”

            Oliver leaned back against the counter under the warming tray. That’s right she was the owner of that spectacular strip of a dress. His gaze slipped down her body before returning to her own eyes. “What’s your personal experience?”

            “With waitressing?” Her tone was sharp. She must have seen him give her the once over. _Shit. He needed to be more subtle_.

            Oliver nodded. “That’s what you’re here for.”

            “Not much.” She shifted on what he noticed was black sneakers decorated with blue strips and white spots. _Was that supposed to look like stars? Didn’t matter. At least she wore appropriate shoes._ “I helped my mom a couple of times. She’s a cocktail waitress.”

            “Serving drinks isn’t like serving food, Miss Smoak.” Oliver was beyond frustrated. _This was the best Sara could do? At least the two guys she brought in had actual serving experience. Was Felicity really their best option? On opening night no less?_

            “How hard can it be?” she shot back at him. “You take an order. You return with food. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist.” Felicity walked the few steps that were between them and jabbed a finger at him, but didn’t touch him. “Which, for your information, I could’ve been.”

            “Then what are you doing here?” he asked her as he stared her down.

            “A friend asked me for help. It’s what friends do.”

            Oliver glanced down at the finger that still pointed at him and she quickly dropped her hand. Not having that as a focal point, Oliver decided to return to the blue depths of fury in front of him. There was a fire in those eyes. It sparked something within Oliver’s chest that he was the one to put it there. Oliver straightened. “Fine. Let’s see what you can do.”

            He walked over to a rack of white and black coats and shrugged into his chef’s coat. Oliver buttoned it as he waved at her to follow him behind the counter. He pulled some dishes from his oven that was on warm and set them on the table that was set up in his kitchen for special guests. Oliver motioned her to take a seat. Grabbing some silverware, he handed them over to her. “I’ll grab the cold food. Taste everything.”

            She nodded and unrolled the napkin laying it over her lap before he went to retrieve the dishes in his walk-in. He had already had the other two waiters sample the food. He had prepared three plates of everything for this exact purpose. If they were to serve the food in his restaurant, they needed to know what it tasted like and what it was so that they could inform his guests. The real test was for Pete and Felicity to describe it back to him in the darkened dining room. Steven had already passed with flying colors.

            Oliver returned and stopped at the sight of Felicity. Her eyes were closed as she chewed. A look of pure bliss covered her face. Oliver swallowed hard as he pictured that same expression as her head was flung back in the throes of passion. He cleared his throat louder so she would know he was there. Her eyes shot open and her cheeks tinted pink.

            “Sorry. That was… I don’t know what that was. Your chef is phenomenal.”

            “Thank you.” He set the food on the table before giving her a small bow.

            Her eyes became wide and Oliver felt himself grinning as she sputtered. “You’re… You’re the chef?”

            “Last time I checked.”

            “Wow.” Admiration shined clearly in her eyes and Oliver’s chest puffed at the compliment. His family dismissed the restaurant as nothing more than a temporary hobby. Even his girlfriend felt the same. While he had cooked for them all, not one showed as much interest in his food as the woman in front of him.

            Oliver nudged the other dishes toward her. “Try these and then I will test you.” He nodded toward Pete who appeared on the outskirts of the kitchen. “I’ll be in the dining room with Pete. When you’re ready, let him know and the two of you can switch.”

            Turning, Oliver began to depart when one more thing Felicity should know dawned on him. “Make sure you put your glasses on before going into the dining room. It’ll be dark. And be prepared to describe the food.”

 

            Felicity nodded at him and watched him leave before studying the spread in front of her. _She had to describe the food_? Felicity gulped. When she was nervous her words tended to become sexual double entendres. It was the one thing that drover her from becoming more than an IT girl at the present moment. Growing up the way she had, confidence was in short supply.

            Felicity spooned into the cold soup in front of her. When it touched her tongue, her eyes rolled back. _How could an attention-seeking, skirt-chaser create such fragrant food_? Maybe she had evaluated him all wrong.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            Balancing two plates, Felicity inched her way through the dining room. Everything looked so much different under the green haze of the night glasses. She was sure she’d find a way to adjust to the differences with time. Problem was time was limited before the dining room would be filled with patrons and staff doing an intricate dance in the darkness.

            Felicity spotted Oliver over by the side and made her way over to him. He sat there fiddling with a spoon. It must be lonely to sit there alone at a table when you couldn’t see anything. That’s when Felicity became relieved she took the position as waitress because that would’ve been her later tonight if she hadn’t.

            “Mr. Queen –“

            “Oliver,” he corrected her.

            “Oliver, here’s your food.” She set the main plate in front of him and a smaller plate off to his left. “Would you like me to describe your food for you?”             “If you please,” he told her. Felicity drew in a deep breath, giving herself a mental pep talk. She could do this.

 

            “In front of you, you’ll find a succulent spot prawn over a voluptuous bed of winter greens. It is sprawled on top of the most gorgeous, rich, full-bodied Béarnaise sauce.” As Felicity continued to speak, her sensual, passionate words eased the beast Oliver kept suppressed within himself. Each erotic description brought forth a new way to view the food before him. Food that had, in his attempt to see it perfected, become anything but. _How was it that she could make everything on the plate sound like the best, kinkiest sex that you could ever have and never knew you wanted?_

            Oliver began to squirm in his seat with each word that slipped from her lips. He couldn’t even remember there being this many elements to his plates.

            Her soft voice wrapped around him in a soothing wave eliciting a response inside him that made him want to do nothing more than to forget the damn test, sweep the food aside and devour the woman speaking. It was a primitive urge that he would have followed through with had he still been the man-child he had once been before Lian Yu.

            When she finally stopped, Oliver felt deprived of her words. He wanted more, needed more. It didn’t matter that all he was supposed to have was the sound of her voice to keep him company. In fact, it was almost ironic. Because it was the best metaphor for his life that he could think of. No one else called out to him like Felicity had in the short time he had known her. No one touched the monster within. And, yet, her voice not only sought it out, she calmed it in such a way that eased Oliver into a sense of peace that he hadn’t experienced in far too long. The only other time that he came close was when he was in the kitchen creating a new dish for the restaurant.

            No one else had seen his food as he had. Except Felicity. He wanted to reach out to her but she was already gone. She had disappeared while he had been lost in his thoughts. Probably so he could enjoy his food like a normal patron would. He obliged only because there wasn’t anything else to do. He was alone in the dark world of the dining room. Alone.

            With each bite, he remembered her words as if they were now permanently etched on his skin. As much as the scars that littered his body from all he had gone through on that island that had tried to claim his life, and Sara’s.

            The food, that had tasted so familiar, now had an erotic edge. Each spice sharper on his palette. Each bite of cream that much smoother. Felicity had made something old new again. And Oliver wanted nothing more than to have that feeling last.

            Pushing his empty plates to the side, Oliver awaited Felicity’s return. When she arrived at his side again, she didn’t disappoint.

            “Your dessert.”

            “Describe it for me,” Oliver insisted.

            “Well, it’s a decadent piece of chocolate cake that is engorged with an intoxicating, liquid fudge center. Laid on top of the piece is a ruffle of the best chocolate money can afford.” How she knew that he didn’t know, since he never told her. But it was the absolute truth. Part of the reason the dessert was forty dollars a plate. “A piece to be savored as you lick every bit from your spoon. Next to that are two blue balls…”

            Blue balls, indeed. Oliver reached down under the table, hoping his actions looked innocent. But he rubbed those aching sacs before stroking his bunched up length inside his pants. He wanted nothing more than to be balls deep within the woman next to him.

            And it couldn’t be just any woman. It had to be Felicity. He wanted to press her forward on the table as he entered her from behind. Oliver could imagine the taste of her skin as his lips trailed up her naked spine while he ground himself within her. His hand kneading her breasts like the bread dough he baked from scratch every morning. Oliver would call out her name as he rubbed her clit, pushing her over the edge while spilling his seed deep within her folds.

            He couldn’t hold back the groan that formed in the back of his throat as precum formed at the tip of his penis, soaking a small part of his jeans. Oliver berated himself, because he couldn’t do any of that. Not only because Felicity was practically a stranger to him, but because she was Sara’s friend.

            Only then did he realize the bigger obstacle. _Laurel_. The woman he was dating. The woman he was supposed to commit to later that night by agreeing to her pressured demands to move in with her.

            How had his life become so complicated? Again. Sad part was, with Felicity those complications seemed a lot less complicated. She made him feel whole. Something Laurel failed to accomplish in the last year he had been home from that hellish island.

            “Felicity,” Oliver whispered. Her name escaped his lips without permission. But it didn’t matter. She wasn’t there. She had left again. A will-o-the-wisp of light in his darkness. He wanted it back. Oliver knew of no one else that could shine that light into the blackness that had become ingrained within his very being. It had long ago become a part of him, that he forgot there could be anything else.

            Sara had told him there was still a light inside of him. And by the expression on her face when she said it, he knew she had found it with someone. He needed that too. Oliver had never known how much until now.

            Resolve settled over him. He couldn’t be with Laurel knowing that she wasn’t what he needed. Maybe she never had been. He had run far and fast the last time she had given him such an ultimatum. But now, he wasn’t running. Oliver was standing firm in his conviction. He needed to. Because he had a glimpse of something that might actually be real. Something he didn’t ache to screw up the second things got rough.

            Oliver knew he could commit. He had done it with the restaurant. Now, he had to pave the way to maybe getting something else. Someone else in his life to make him better.

            As if to symbolize that new light, Oliver pulled out the remote to the lights from his pocket and turned them on. That was when he noticed Sara standing off to the side.

            “Not paying attention, old man,” she teased as she approached. “How did she do?”

            “Did you hear her description?”

            Sara slid his plate over in front of her as she took a seat. “Um-hmm.” She picked up his spoon and scooped up a bite of the sorbet. It no sooner hit her tongue then she smiled. “God. This is my favorite. Hands down.”

            “What did you think of how Felicity described the food?”

            “What I heard was Felicity nervous as hell.” Sara laughed. “It’s the only time she talks like that. I bet she was bright red the entire time.”

            Oliver hadn’t noticed. He had been more lost in his own thoughts of what her words did to him. “I want all the staff to describe food like that.” Oliver spread his arms across the booth behind him. “An organic, erotic experience.”

            Sara smiled at him before digging into the cake. “You providing all the Happy Endings to the female customers in the back?”

            “No,” Oliver said quickly straightening. That was a ridiculous thought. Maybe his younger self might have gone with that idea, but, frankly, he now found it to be appalling.

            “Good, because I don’t see Felicity agreeing to take care of the male patrons,” Sara said teasingly.

            Oliver found no humor in Sara’s words. He sure as hell wouldn’t ask Felicity to prostitute herself like that. It was disgusting to him that Sara even joked about it. Felicity was supposed to be her friend.

            Sara turned more serious as she finished off the cake. “You ready for this?”

            “I didn’t think so,” Oliver admitted honestly. “And now…”  

           “Felicity happened,” Sara finished for him.

            Oliver glared at her. “That’s not what I was going to say.”

            “It’s what you were thinking. Why else would you want to suddenly change the way the wait staff presents food less than an hour before service?” Sara wagged her eyebrows at him. “Go ahead, lie. Tell me I’m wrong.”

            “You’re not wrong,” Oliver said with a sigh. He pushed out of the booth. “I have work to do.”

            “Have fun,” Sara told him as he picked up the empty plate to bring to the kitchen. “You want me to tell Felicity to open a button on her shirt each time she comes to the kitchen so you have something to look at.” Sara tilted her head and considered her words. “Oh. I like it. Stripping wait staff. Why can’t I work in the kitchen?”

            Oliver pushed her head to the side, knowing she was kidding but not liking it anyway because if he was honest with himself he liked it too much when it was referenced with Felicity. _Damn_. _When_ _had_ _he_ _gotten_ _so_ _attached_ _to_ _someone_ _so_ _quickly_?

            “Oh, yeah.” Sara stopped him before he passed the black curtain. “The electrician already showed up. I sent him around the back. And I’ll go debrief the wait staff on the new orders while you cut things up.”

            “It’s called mise en place.”

            “Whatever.”  

           Oliver shook his head and retreated to his place of refuge. The day that had he had thought was going to tank royally at his feet was actually beginning to be a whole hell of a lot better.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            All through first service, Oliver watched Felicity. Her nervousness had yet to fade. Yet, there was a confidence simmering below her surface. Felicity was like a soufflé. You touched it too soon, it would deflate. But if you let it go until it was done, it was something to be savored.

            And he did savor every passing glance he had of her. Her blonde ponytail bobbing along behind her in rhythm to her graceful steps as she pivoted around the other servers. Oliver had lifted on his toes on an occasion or two to catch a glimpse of the rounded curve of her ass as she bent down to retrieve an extra bit of silverware from a bin.

            Each thing he cooked turned out more amazing than the last. And it was all because he wanted to impress the blonde vixen who tormented him without even knowing it.

            He would have to say something to her. All he needed was the nerve. And to talk to Laurel. Oliver would have to end thing before he took the next step. Not so much because he should, but because Felicity deserved to have so much more than to even be placed into the category of a piece of fluff on the side of his current relationship.

            Though, Oliver was pretty sure that’s how Laurel would take her no matter how much space of time he allowed before approaching Felicity. Laurel had always been the jealous kind, despite her turning a blind eye to his previous relationships. But then, she had been jealous even when there hadn’t been any need.

            That’s what had Oliver the most worried. That he couldn’t be the man who wouldn’t stray. He wanted to know he could be the man who could settle with just one woman. And he wanted that woman to be Felicity with a ferocity he never felt before. He had grown since his time on Lian Yu. Became more mature about the relationships he entered into, but he was still scared.

            Felicity was uncharted waters. He didn’t even know how she felt. Or even if she was dating someone else. If she was, he’d wait. He’d have to.

            Chaos reigned around him, but Oliver was too lost in his thoughts to notice. At least until things began to slow down between the two services. It was time for him to screw his head on straight. Once the second service was over, his life was going to change. He mentally crossed his fingers that it would be for the better.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            The first service had seemed to go well without much mishap. Felicity was relieved the one time someone had dropped food, it hadn’t been her. And considering she was paranoid that Oliver Queen was watching her waiting for a mistake that said something.

            Each of the customers she had served had tipped amazingly well. But then when a single meal at Taste cost no less than a hundred dollars, it was no surprise tips added up quickly.

            As the dining room refilled for the second, and last, service, Sara pulled Felicity off to the side. Concern lining her brow, which put Felicity on high alert that something was wrong.

            “My sister is here with Oliver’s best friend, Tommy Merlyn. I put them at your table,” Sara told her. That couldn’t be Sara’s only problem, but Felicity let it go.

            “That’s fine. Which one?” Felicity glanced around the dining room and before Sara could say anything, Felicity spotted the unmistakable face of Tommy Merlyn a few tables over from the little cubby hole they had hidden in.

            “Table twenty. You’ll have to tell Oliver where they are because he’ll want to come over and talk to them.” Sara gripped Felicity’s arm. Her hand was shaking. “He may even want to serve them himself.”

            “That’s fine,” Felicity assured her. It wasn’t like Sara to act like this about something so simple. “What is it you’re not telling me?”  

           Sara leaned closer her mouth touching Felicity’s ear. “They were laughing, holding hands and leaning into each other when the entered the restaurant.” Sara shook her head as her lips pinched together, but at least her vise like grip had loosened on Felicity’s arm. “They sprang apart quickly enough when they realized I was the one at the front of the house.”

            “I’m sure it’s nothing. They’re friends.” Felicity hoped her words were true for both her friend and Oliver’s sakes. Despite her set back with her original service to the co-owner, Felicity discovered he actually approved enough to make changes for everyone else. And she had witnessed his dedication toward his job and his compassion to the staff, no matter how hard he drove them. Felicity was beginning to really respect him in a way she never dreamed possible.

            “I have to get back,” Sara apologized. “If you see anything, let me know first.”

            “Go,” Felicity urged. “I’ve got this.” Felicity made her way to the kitchen. A choreographed chaos flowed through the small space. Or the large space that shrunk considerably with the amount of bodies that circled around it.

            Felicity approached the expediting table. “Mr. Queen.”

            His head shot up from behind the small window before resuming his task.

            “Mr. Queen,” Felicity tried again.

            He held up a finger in her direction as he continued to advice the sous chef.

            “Mr. Queen!” Felicity said with much more force, demanding his attention.

            Oliver turned and rubbed his hands on the towel that hung over one of his broad shoulders as he approached her. He rounded the warming area and cupped her elbow leading her toward a less crowded area. “What?”

            “Your girlfriend and best friend arrived and are seated at table twenty,” she explained.

            He seemed to consider her words for a moment before he asked, “Whose table is that?”

            “Mine.”

            Oliver nodded. “Tell Antonio at the bar to serve them the prosecco I stored in the back. It’s labeled with Tommy’s name.”

            “Right.” Felicity turned to go but Oliver’s hand met her waist. The sudden contact had her nervously turning back. “Yes?”

            “I’ll be out to greet them shortly, but don’t mention it.”

            “Are you sure?” Felicity asked him, more in confirmation after Sara had told her what had happened earlier.

            “I want to surprise them with an extra special appetizer,” he explained. “It’s something I told Tommy about a couple of weeks ago.”

            “Okay.” Felicity nodded and disengaged from his fingers.

            Making her way back to the bar, Felicity gave the bartender Oliver’s instructions before returning to the dining room. She went to greet some of her new customers before heading in the direction of table twenty. Felicity arrived the same time Antonio did.

            “Good evening,” Felicity greeted them. “Welcome to Taste, where a single bite will arouse your senses.”

            “Sounds interesting,” Tommy said with a deep chuckle and a glance in Laurel’s direction.

            “Mr. Queen ordered you a special bottle of prosecco. Our bartender is pouring it for you now. The bottle will be left on the table to the left of the gentleman’s hand. But I will be more than happy to pour you more when you like.” Felicity took both of their hands and guided them toward the center of the table as she had with many before them. “In the center, you will find a paddle. Hold that up if you need anything. It will reflect for those of us with glasses so that we know that you require something.”

            Felicity noticed both their hands tangled and caressed when she released them. So much for just friends. Felicity hadn’t even acted like that with her college boyfriend, Cooper. And well, it was college and public displays of attention were more than common practice.

            “Your appetizer, designed by the head chef, will be with you shortly.” Felicity walked away from the pair and tried to think of ways to convince Oliver to put off coming out to the table. He didn’t need to see the betrayal of the two people he really cared for.

            Spotting Sara, Felicity made her way over to her friend. “We need to talk. Now.” The second the pair was separated from prying ears, Felicity told her, “I was wrong.”  

           “Wrong?” Sara’s face was a mask of confusion under her glasses.

            “There’s definitely something going on between Laurel and Tommy,” Felicity explained with barely a breath.

            “Shit!” Sara covered her mouth after her loud expletive. “Shit. I knew it.” Sara stomped a silent foot.

            “Oliver plans on delivering their appetizer when it is finished.”

            “He’d like to think so.” Felicity followed an angry Sara through to the kitchen. “Oliver.”  

            The man stood there cleaning the plates in front of him at the expediting table before raising his head. “What?”

            Sara put on her most charming smile. The one Felicity knew she used whenever she was trying to charm someone at a bar to go home with her. “Are those for Laurel and Tommy?”  

           “Yes. I –“

            Sara picked up the two plates and kissed Oliver on the cheek stopping him from continuing his sentence. “I’ve got these. There are a whole lot of tables looking forward to your cooking. We can’t disappoint them on opening night.”

            Oliver glanced between Sara and Felicity before he shrugged. He motioned Felicity forward. She was frightened he knew of Sara’s plan and was going to call her on it. Instead he placed a few plates in her hand. “Table eight’s apps are ready and Pete’s swamped at table twenty-four with a ten top. Can you take them out?”

            Felicity had never been so relieved to serve food. It would keep her out of the kitchen as much as possible so she wouldn’t blurt out what had happened in the dining room.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            By the time desserts were being served, Oliver was sure there was something Sara and Felicity were hiding from him either out in the dining room or with Laurel and Tommy. Oliver quickly dismissed the latter. It was his best friend and the woman who was currently his girlfriend. It wasn’t like either had any clue as to his intentions for later that evening. Sara and Felicity didn’t either, for that matter.

            The second he heard Felicity tell another server that she was heading to the bar for an order, Oliver scooped up the desserts for his friends and headed out into the darkened interior of his restaurant when she walked in the bar. He didn’t need the glasses. Oliver had long grown accustomed to seeing in the dark. It helped him on numerous occasions.

            On quiet feet, Oliver made his way over to table twenty. It was a corner booth with a curved seating area. He was steps away from the table with the two chocolate cakes in his hand when he spotted them.

            Laurel was curved around Tommy, his hands buried deep in her hair as they consumed each other. Oliver felt like worst kind of voyeur while he stood there in disbelief of the scene in front of him. The actions in front of him weren’t caused by the sensual darkness of his restaurant. The way the two of them kissed was natural, organic, ingrained. One brought on by a familiarity that was caused by more than friendship.

            The dishes in his hands felt weighted. They bobbled in his hands and almost fell to the floor. The only thing keeping them upright was his quick instincts.

            Turning, Oliver found a server and handed the plates off. He nodded toward table twenty. “Please deliver these for me. I need to head back to the kitchen.”

            Oliver left the dining room itching for a fight and he found it in Felicity Smoak. She sat at the table in the kitchen nursing a glass of water. “What are you doing?”  

           He watched her jump, some of the water spilling over the rim of her glass and onto the white tablecloth. Her eyes rose to meet his as she turned. “Taking a five minute break. I already cleared it through Sara.”

            “You didn’t clear it through me,” Oliver barked at her. “What if one of your dessert orders becomes ready?”

            “All my tables have been served.” Her voice was level, but no less agitated.

            “And drinks?”  

           “The other waiters will let me know,” she assured him in such a way that it was like she was trying to placate a child.

            “For someone as smart as you, I wouldn’t think I’d have to define the words waitress to you.” He was being an ass and frankly he didn’t care. Not after seeing Laurel and Tommy together.

            “Fine.” Felicity drained the glass and slammed it on the table before she rose. “I’m done.”

            “Actually, we’re not done.” He stopped her short by holding up a hand. “I have another bone to pick with you.”

            He could swear she mumbled, _Of course, you do_ , to herself. “What’s that?”

            “Where’s our website? In case you haven’t noticed, we’re now open. You promised Sara a website and have yet to deliver due to some sort of,” Oliver indicated quotes with his hands, “delay.”

            Felicity crossed her arms, glaring at him. Her lips thinned and her brow creased, but it was the glimmer of anger that really fanned the flames of Oliver’s own rage. “If you have such a problem with that maybe you need to talk to your step-father. He has me working on something causing your _delay_.”

            Her words took some of the wind out of his sails. “You work at Queen Consolidated?” She gave him a curt nod in response. “How come I’ve never seen you before?”  

           “Probably because you _don’t_ work there and have had no need to visit the IT Department.”

            Oliver considered that. He did avoid the offices whenever possible. Oliver was pretty sure that Sara probably had made more visits to the offices than he had since they arrived back. Not that he had any idea as to why Sara had, until now. She probably had been going there to visit with Felicity. “Maybe I need to rectify that.”

            “Why you planning on spilling a latte on your expensive laptop?” she asked in annoyance.

            “Maybe,” he teased even though his word was still tense due to not having the time to completely cool down.

            Her expression which had been annoyed before flashed into furious. She jammed a finger so deep into his chest it actually hurt despite her dulled nails. “So help me, if you destroy an expensive piece of hardware just to come to the IT Depart, I swear I will kill you.”

            “You can try.” Oliver glanced down at her slim finger that was pressed to his chest. “Others have tried and failed.”

            Felicity’s passionate fury dimmed. Her eyes which had blazed with blue sparks, took on a softer edge. “You almost died? Was it on the island? I mean because I know you almost died after the Queen’s Gambit went down, but I can tell that’s not what you meant.”

            “It’s no big deal.” Oliver stepped back from her hand and turned. He began to walk away from her, not wanting to talk about his time away. Her hand on his forearm stopped him.

            “No big deal?” She rounded around him and caught his gaze. “You almost died. That sounds like a pretty big deal to me.”

            “Well, it’s not. I’m here, aren’t I?”

            Felicity reached up and laid a palm against his cheek. “Do you talk about it? Sara doesn’t. I know it haunts her but she won’t say a word to anyone besides Nyssa.”

            “Nyssa?” Oliver was confused. _Nyssa was in Starling City_?

            Felicity shrugged. “Her girlfriend. They’ve been together for the last few months. I’m pretty sure it’s serious.”

            “I didn’t know Sara was dating.” _Let_ _alone_ _the_ _fact_ _that_ _it_ _was_ _Nyssa_. There was definitely going to be a deep conversation between him and his partner once the doors closed tonight.

            Felicity lowered her hand and he missed the warmth of it. She nodded toward the front of the house. “It’s already been more than five minutes. I better go.”

            “Wait.” Oliver reached out and grasped her by the waist, turning her so he could see her eyes. “Can we talk after service is over? I think I may need to apologize.”   

          Her eyes trailed down his arms until they reached his hands before meeting his own. His manhandling of her was sure to be on the list of apologies. “Sure. If you want to talk, I’m a great listener.”

            She stepped out of his hands and walked away without even one more glance in his direction.

            It was in that moment that Oliver realized what the term bereft really meant. He had never felt that way, even once, with Laurel. He could hardly claim to have felt that emotion before in any of his relationships. Which was ironic since he didn’t have one at all with Felicity. He couldn’t even claim to be her boss because she might only work for him for only one night.

            A calmness settled over him. Because of the lack of relationship, he had an opportunity to explore what actually could happen between them. But he’d have to wait. He certainly couldn’t ask her to engage in one right after he just saw Laurel and Tommy together. Felicity wasn’t a rebound.

            Tonight, after dinner, he’d have to think about how he planned to approach her. He wanted something more with the blonde who fascinated him.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            A month after Taste’s opening, Felicity sat behind her desk at Queen Consolidated and sighed. Another weekend loomed ahead of her with not much to do. Sara had asked Felicity to come by the restaurant numerous times but Felicity refused.

            After her fight with Oliver Queen, she had been ready to tell Sara that she needed a new waitress by the next night. But then after service, Oliver had stopped her as he said he would do. His eyes held a vulnerability she had never expected him to display.

            He explained, as he poured them both a glass of red wine, about what he had seen in the dining room between Laurel and Tommy. Felicity had chimed in with her own explanation of what she and Sara had seen and how they had tried to avoid him seeing what he had. Oliver laughed, but it was tinged with sadness. Felicity understood why when Oliver told her he had every intention of ending things with Laurel that night before the display. Now he had even more reason to follow through.

            What Felicity understood, by what was left unsaid, was that they had both felt trapped into resuming a relationship that they both had grown out of over their years apart. It was in her sympathy that she reached out to him. At first it had been innocent. Her hand covered his and rubbed across it in reassurance that things would get better.

            When he rose from the table where they sat and said he should let her head home, she also stood. She didn’t think before she reached out and hugged him tight. It was that act that went from friendly to not so friendly in seconds. Not so literal sparks charged between them.

            One second she was wrapped around him lending him comfort. The next his mouth descended on hers and she pressed closer, her hands cupping the back of his head while the kiss deepened.

            The second her butt was plopped on top of the table, she knew things had exploded far too fast. Felicity needed to put the brakes on before they both regretted their actions.

            That was the last she had seen of Oliver Queen. He walked away from her with his head hung down. His hands shoved deep into the pockets of his tight-fitting jeans. Low curses escaped his lips while he made his way to the kitchen.

            Oliver didn’t even bother to work the rest of the weekend. Sara had given Felicity some lame excuse as to why, but Felicity had a strong suspicion that she was a large part of why he didn’t come into the place he loved.

            “Knock. Knock.”

            Felicity glanced up and saw Sara at the door of her office. “What’s going on?”

            Sara shook her head and smiled. “You could sound a little happier to see me.” Sara walked over and fell into the cushions of the chair in front of Felicity’s desk. “Especially as I brought a surprise.”

            Felicity groaned. “One day, you’re going to surprise me with lunch.”

            “It could be.”

            “It’s not,” Felicity told her. “The last time you said those same words, you convinced me to go on a blind date with Ted from accounting.”

            “He was cute.” Felicity glared at her friend. “And how I was supposed to know he was as boring as limp noodle?”

            Felicity tapped her red pen on her lips and rolled her eyes. “The time before that, it was Ricky. You picked him up from a local bar. And the time before that, it was your ex from high school.”

            Sara’s face screwed up in sympathy. “Sorry about Alan. I don’t know what I was thinking about that one,” Sara apologized. She grimaced before her smile returned. “This one is a lot better. I promise.”

            “No.” Felicity threw her pen at her desk and it bounced off and landed on the floor by the door. “I’m not agreeing to go on another blind date.”

            “Well, there’s blind and then there’s _blind_ ,” Sara said with a giggle.

            Felicity fought the urge to bang her head against her desk. “You set me up with a blind guy?”

            “No. I wouldn’t do that. Okay maybe I would.” Sara rose and circled Felicity’s desk. She pushed some books to the side so she could sit on the edge. “You’re going to meet him at Taste.”  

           “So, we’re both supposed to be blind on this blind date? Great.”

            “Oh, I think your imagination will do nicely,” Sara told her with a not so innocent look. “I know I could readily picture him naked.”

            “Eww. Just the way you said that makes me think you already have.”

            Sara’s gaze darted away momentarily. It was definitely a guilty expression. But in her defense, Sara was practically the female version of Oliver Queen. Felicity was sure her friend had practically slept with everyone. Male and female alike. “He’s been dying to ask you out but he’s too afraid you’ll tell him no.”

            Those words did set Felicity’s imagination in motion. _Who did she know that could want to date her but be too shy to ask_? Matt from Tech Village sprang to mind. He was always quick to finish with whatever customer he had just to help her. But question was, how would he know to tell Sara? Sara had never stepped inside Tech Village and the only time she had gone with Felicity, she adamantly stayed in her car. As far as Felicity could tell, the two would have no reason to even meet let alone Matt be talkative enough to tell her about a date.

            There were no other options that came to mind. Well, other than Oliver Queen. But that was silly. The two of them together was practically unthinkable despite the chemistry that leapt between them. Plus, Oliver would have no reason to be nervous about asking her out. It was Oliver Queen. He could have any woman he wanted and all he had to do was crook a finger in her direction.

            “Fine,” Felicity relented. “I’ll go. But this is the last blind date you set me up with.”

            Sara squealed and hugged her. That had Felicity even more suspicious. Sara never let out this kind of emotion. It made her sound younger and more assessable. Two things Sara was but never showed. Felicity had heard stories about pre-island Sara and that’s what Felicity was reminded of with Sara’s current actions.

            “Eight pm service,” Sara told her as she made her way back to the door.

            “Tonight?” Felicity asked her with her voice shooting up a notch. She wasn’t ready for a blind date tonight.

            “Um-hmm.” Sara nodded and tossed her red pen at her before blowing a kiss and disappearing.

            Felicity slunk down in her seat. It seemed it was a good thing she hadn’t made weekend plans yet.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            It was moments before eight when Felicity arrived at Taste. A clock on a nearby church chimed the hour when Felicity locked up her car and made her way toward the front door. She hadn’t bothered with the valet service the customers used. Instead putting her mini Cooper in the staff parking lot and walking across the street.

            She wouldn’t have been so late if she could’ve decided on what to wear. Sure, the interior of Taste was pitch black. So, it shouldn’t have mattered if she arrived in her pajamas. But Felicity had a strong feeling that this date would go on beyond dinner. There was just something so different with the way Sara acted.

            Felicity entered the lobby and found it empty. All the other tables must have already been seated.

            That’s when Felicity spotted Sara rounding the corner. A look of relief passed across her features. “Thank God. I thought you ditched.”

            Felicity spun around in her gold dress she wore. “I couldn’t decide on what to wear.”

            Sara whistled. “Good choice. He’ll like it.”

            “He won’t be able to see it,” Felicity told her. “It was stupid to be so concerned over what I was going to wear.”

            “No, it really wasn’t.” Sara picked up her glasses and exchanged her heels for the ugly shoes she wore the night of the opening. “Hold my shoulder.”

            Felicity complied and followed Sara into the darkened dining room. It was a whole other experience when you couldn’t see. The blackness became a vacuum. The only sounds were low voices and glasses being set upon marble tables.

            Sara led her to a small table and gently pushed her down into a chair. “You’re date will be here soon. He was delayed as well.”

            See, maybe the dress wasn’t a bad thing. She could’ve ended up running into her date in the lobby. Even though she couldn’t see anything, Felicity glanced around. Her ears perked up as the sounds of a heavy, but oddly still almost silent, tread approached. It was frightening and exciting to imagine the man whose stride came nearer.

            A gruff, but familiar voice reached her as he took a seat across from her. “Felicity. You look… beautiful.”

            “Oliver?” The voice was deeper but she could swear it was him. His voice dripped sex. It had made staying in the kitchen with him too long uncomfortable when she worked here a month ago. Because his voice was the strongest one in the kitchen, her ears perked until his voice slowly became the only one she heard. The one that made her heart flutter. And that was before their explosive kiss.

            His hand reached out and grasped hers, their fingers tangling. “Hi.”

            “I’m supposed to meet a date,” Felicity told him as she tried to pull her hand from his. He released her easy enough. Almost too easy. Understanding dawned. “You’re my date?”  

           “If you want me to leave…”

            “No.” Felicity tried and failed to keep her voice level, composed. She reached out to him but he wasn’t there. “Oliver?”

            Just when she thought he had left, she heard him walk. She was going to call out to him again, but her chair was nudged back. Suddenly, his voice was by her ear. “Come with me.”  

           She allowed him to take her hand and guide her through the darkness. He made their way through the room with ease and Felicity felt sure he had to have a pair of glasses on, which as far as she was concerned was cheating. Only as they entered the dimly lit hallway she realized he was able to see in the dark without any visual aids.

            Oliver continued to guide her straight to the kitchen. The table that sat there was laden with a feast. It was with suspended disbelief that Felicity stood there her hand in Oliver Queen’s while she tried to process that she was there to be his date.

            “I wasn’t sure what you might want, so I made a little of everything.” Oliver indicated she should take a seat before he slid in the booth with her. Their legs touched, rubbing together, anytime Oliver pulled a dish closer.

            Not one person in the kitchen paid them any attention. Felicity, however, was very much aware of ever presence there. But the one next to her overwhelmed everyone else. Oliver managed to invade all of senses much like his food did.

            Oliver was dressed in a pair of navy blue dress pants that accented the rounded curve of his ass, which she _did not_ notice as she followed him. The white dress shirt he wore was rolled up on his forearms. The top couple of buttons undone leaving him looking dressy and casual at the same time. This was how Felicity pictured him in her dreams. The ones that invaded her nights after their unexpected kiss.

            He was just like this. Not just he the way he dressed, but he way he acted as well. He was courteous, generous, and a devoted date. Oliver made her feel like she was the only one in the room. Or at least the only one that mattered. Felicity couldn’t remember a date ever being like this. It was perfect.

            “Here try this.” Oliver leaned toward her, a piece of meat attached to the glistening, silver fork in his hand. His other hand cupped underneath to catch any drips of the thick sauce that covered it.

            Felicity’s mouth closed around the delicious morsel. She couldn’t hold back the groan of approval if she tried. The meat melted in her mouth like butter. The rich aroma of the mushroom sauce coated her tongue to allow for a more favorable bite.

            “What do you think? I’m debating whether or not to put it on the menu.” He seemed generally concerned for her answer.

            Grasping his arm, Felicity squeezed it in her excitement. “You definitely have to put that on the menu. It’s amazing.”

            “You sure? You didn’t seem to like it very much.” His eyes danced in delight.

            “Oliver!”

            He held up his hands and laughed. “Just checking.”

            “How did you learn to cook like this?” Felicity waved at the food. “All of this is beyond description.”

            Oliver only shrugged, his cheeks and ears turning a delightful shade of pink. “On the island, there was cooked and uncooked. After I got back home, I was determined that I needed to do something. One of the things I took up was cooking.”

            “One?” Felicity could tell she put him on the spot with her question. Especially when he reached for a beautiful fruit arrangement to divert her attention. He speared a strawberry and told her to open. The strawberry burst on her tongue and she let the subject drop. The date was going so well she hated to ruin it.

            Not that she had to worry too hard. Oliver couldn’t be distracted. The only reason he even stopped feeding her was that she became disgustingly full. That became his excuse for taking her for a walk.

            It was cold outside and she had to stay bundled inside of her coat. Oliver kept her close to his side in an effort to generate some of his heat to her. On their way back to the restaurant, Oliver stopped her.

            Their eyes locked as he pulled her in close. Oliver’s head slowly lowered and their lips touched. The kiss was as soft as the snow that begun to descend around them.

            Felicity swayed closer and Oliver’s arms encircled her until she was flush to his chest. Their kiss deepened while their tongues tangled in effort to taste each other.

            When their kiss ended, Oliver smiled down at her and wrapped her arm around his. He walked her back to her car and Felicity was already looking forward to their next date. She never imagined that she’d be this excited about dating Oliver Queen. But now she couldn’t imagine being with anyone else.

 

OQFSOQFSOQFS

 

            By May, Felicity and Oliver had become a major couple. Tabloids tried to capture them together but they kept their relationship as low-key as they could. That became especially important after Walter Steele’s disappearance just a week after their first date.

            But it was the most recent setback of Oliver’s mom’s involvement in the Undertaking that had kept them from seeing each other much the last couple of weeks. Which was why Felicity was so excited by Oliver’s recent offer to have her come meet him at the restaurant.

            It had been closed since before the Undertaking, yet a sign on the front door announced its reopening that Friday. Felicity smiled. Oliver and Sara must be so ready to get back to their normal routine.

            Pushing the door open, Felicity entered. She noticed right on top of the hostess stand was a tray with a glass of wine and a piece of cake. Felicity approached it and noticed the words ‘ _Eat me’_ written in chocolate on the plate and a small placard under the wine asking her to drink.

            Felicity giggled. She was far from Alice and she couldn’t exactly picture Oliver as the Mad Hatter. The Cheshire Cat maybe when she elicited a rare smile from him maybe. A feat that had become harder over the last few months. Not that she could blame him with all that had been going on with his family.

            Obliging his requests, Felicity popped the cake in her mouth and chewed, finishing it with the full-bodied red wine. Her eyes rolled back at the combination of the taste swirled around her.

            That’s when she noticed the small white note pinned to the curtain leading to the dining room. Felicity tugged it down and read, “Enter me.”             Sweeping past the curtain, Felicity realized she should have grabbed some glasses because the room was black. “Oliver?”

            “I’m here.” The words were whispered in her ear from behind her. She had never heard him approach.

            Oliver pressed up against her, holding her in his arms as he breathed in the scent of her hair. She felt him sweep it to the side before he nuzzled her neck. Her toes began to curl as he hit the spot he knew so well. Oliver knew exactly what to do to make her body sing. And she had no doubt that he used it to his advantage each and every time.

            “Follow me.” He entwined their fingers and led her through the darkened room just as he had on their first date. Only instead of stopping at the table, he led her more deeply into the kitchen.

            Oliver cupped her face his hands and stared down at her before whispering her name. Their lips touched and he urged her lips to open under his own. One of his hands trailed down her back. It ended up coming to rest just under her ass as he ground against her. Apparently, he missed her as much as she had him. “I need to memorize this,” he whispered against her cheek. “I want to put you on a plate.”

            Felicity laughed softly. “And here I thought I was the queen of double entendres.”

            Her laughter quickly faded as Oliver’s eyes dilated with his desire. He pulled her up and legs wrapped around his waist. She was never so happy she decided to go with the Capris instead of one of her usual skirts. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Felicity smiled down at him. “Now that you have a captive audience…”

            His eyes shuttered momentarily at the word captive and Felicity bit her tongue. Sometimes she forgot to keep her mouth shut.

            “Now that I have you, screw dinner.” Oliver began to walk toward the back where the walk-ins were. “I’ll call Sara to clean up.”

            “Where are we going?” Felicity glanced around. She had never been in this part of the restaurant.

            Oliver stopped at a wood panel that seemed somewhat out of place. He pressed his hand to it and it slid to the side to reveal an elevator.

            “You have a secret elevator in your restaurant?” Felicity was beyond confused.

            They entered the small confines and Oliver pressed a button marked _P_. There were two other buttons, _R_ and _BG_. Felicity assumed the R stood for restaurant. _But what was BG?_

“I’ll tell you later. Right now I have plans.” _Crap. She spoke out loud again_.

            He wasn’t wrong, though. Oliver pulled her straight to his bedroom once they entered the Penthouse that she never knew was there. It explained why the building looked so big from the outside. And despite the numerous windows that let her have an amazing view of the city, from outside the windows were invisible.

            It was only later in the afterglow of their lovemaking that Oliver finally explained the third button. “The _BG_ is for below ground.”

            Felicity was confused at first because they had been there lying in silence before he spoke. “I guess for storage.”

            “No.” Oliver turned toward her, stroking her hair from her face. “I have a confession to make.”

            “Okay.” She had no idea what he was about to tell her.

            “I’m the vigilante.”

            Felicity giggled at first until her laughter consumed her. His confused expression only made her laugh harder.

            “What?” his voice was deep and growly. “What’s so funny?”         

            “That you didn’t think I already knew,” Felicity told him with glee. “Sara told me she was the Canary before you and I even met. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the guy under the hood would be close to her. Or that there’s too many men who,” Felicity brushed her thumb over the mole by his mouth, “also have this same characteristic.”

            “You knew?”  

           Felicity nodded and kissed him. “Sara’s been asking for my help for almost a year now.”

            Understanding dawned on his face. “You were the one who pulled that data off Deadshot’s laptop.”

            “And worked up the tech to track the Dodger and the underground casino owner.” Felicity shrugged. “And I might have,” Felicity winced before finishing, she knew he was not going to take this well, “helped Sara and Nyssa stop the earthquake machines.”

            Oliver gripped her shoulder, his face deadly serious. “You could’ve been hurt.”

            What he didn’t say was, _like Sara was_. Sara had only just left the hospital earlier that week after part of the subway collapsed around her when they just barely stopped the earthquake machine as it began to activate.

            Sara, Nyssa and Felicity had saved hundreds if not thousands of lives that night. While Diggle and Oliver had gone after Merlyn, Sara had been sent to help her father to take down the machine. Only it hadn’t been one.

            They wouldn’t have known that fact if Sara hadn’t worried about Nyssa finding out about Merlyn. So, she had sent her after the machine and sent her father to get Laurel, who they both knew wouldn’t listen to the warnings and ran to CNRI.

            Sara enlisted Felicity’s help and she was more than happy to give it. Sara’s next call was to Tommy to tell him Laurel was going to be safe. Their father was going after her. In his relief, Tommy told Sara about the second machine that he learned about after his father attacked him.

            Felicity had been relieved that she and Nyssa managed to shut down the machine when Sara called again to tell her that there was another and she was going after it. Felicity had set to work tracking it and told Sara’s its location. Only Sara arrived seconds before it was set to activate. Not enough time to stop it completely. But they did stop it. Only Sara was hurt in the process. The death toll was fifty people and another hundred injured, Sara included. But it could’ve been so much worse.

            Oliver pushed himself up from the bed and Felicity felt scolded. He seemed upset by her declaration as he picked up his pants and quickly shoved his legs into them. Which is why his next words surprised her. “I might as well bring you downstairs.”

            “Why? Because Sara told me I’m already an honorary member of the team?” Felicity pulled the sheets with her as she collected her clothes.

            “No. Because I hope soon that you’ll be more than just my girlfriend.” He smiled at her and pulled her close. “You might as well become my partner completely.”

            “You don’t have to –“

            Her statement was cut short by his lips. A kiss that left her too breathless for any more arguments.

            When Oliver pulled back he was still smiling. “Plus, I might have left your ring down there.”

            “My ring?” Felicity squeaked.

            Oliver laughed. “I would’ve put it in a soufflé but with the way you consume my food, I was too afraid you’d eat it.”  

           Felicity swiped at him. She let the blankets slip and she saw desire light up his eyes. Turning her back to him, she put on her clothes. When she faced him again, a half-dressed Oliver was on his knee.

            “Marry me, Felicity Megan Smoak.” A box sat on his hand. An empty box.

            “You really did forget the ring?” Felicity asked in disbelief.

            Oliver nodded with an even larger grin. “Told you. But you didn’t answer my question. Will you marry me?”

            “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.” Felicity threw herself into his arms. She couldn’t have pictured a better moment than this one. They shared their secrets and had come together as one.

           

 


End file.
